The subject invention concerns peat paper of the kind which serves to improve the quality of the soil in connection with planting, sowing or weed-control and which consists of peat fibres, cellulose fibres and a bonding agent.
The use of peat as a soil-improving material is well-known. Peat products produced according to the dry process, e.g. by compression, are also well known. The manageability of these products, which usually are in the form of briquettes, is poor. The production costs of such products are high and the use of these products for the purpose of e.g. sowing grass-seeds for lawns or to improve the soil quality over large areas is not realistic.
Peat paper with or without admixture thereinto of seeds is also well known. Peat paper of this kind has hitherto been produced by collecting peat fibres suspended in a water slurry in a fibre wet press. Peat paper produced in accordance with this method--the wet process--possesses good moisture-retaining qualities and has proved very valuable for planting purposes. A drawback inherent in this kind of product is, however, that the method of producing the paper does not advantageously lend itself to admixture into the paper of additives, such as substances increasing the liquid-absorption capabilities of the paper, fertilizing agents or seeds in exact doses and in even layers. In addition, peat paper produced in accordance with this "wet process" becomes hard and brittle as a result of the chemical bonds that form between the cellulose fibres.
Peat paper incorporating the additives mentioned in the afore-going could find considerably more extensive and varied applicability, for if it were possible to include therein chemical additives, such as hormones and the like, the resulting paper product could be adapted to the needs of a great variety of tasks and usages. For instance, a layer of highly absorbent material incorporated in the paper would serve as a water reservoir and increase the usefulness of the paper in all arid regions, such as deserts.